PEN America: USC Decision to Cancel Valedictorian’s Graduation Speech Amounts to “Heckler’s Veto”
PEN America’s Kristen Shahverdian, program director for Campus Free Speech, said: “This amounts to a heckler’s veto – this student should have been given the opportunity to give the… More
New Report Finds Unprecedented Surge in School Books Bans
“Students are at the epicenter of the book banning movement, and they’re fearlessly spearheading the fight against this insidious encroachment into what they can read and learn across the… More
Tony Kushner to Receive PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award at April 29 Literary Awards
Tony Kushner said, “It’s intimidating enough that this honor is named after Mike Nichols, no one ever understood better than him the ways words can be made to perform.… More
Pham Doan Trang, Imprisoned Vietnamese Writer and Dissident, To Receive PEN America’s Freedom to Write Award at NYC Gala May 16
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: “Pham Doan Trang has galvanized the Vietnamese people through her writings on democracy, human rights, environmental degradation, and women’s empowerment. The Vietnamese government… More
Twelve Emerging Writers To Receive PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize
“This year’s recipients of the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers represent the breadth of powerful short fiction published in the last year,” said Clarisse Rosaz… More
New Report Prescribes Peer Support to Help Journalists Targeted by Online Abuse
“Online abuse disproportionately impacts journalists who are people of color, women, LBGTQ+, and members of religious or ethnic minorities,” said Jeje Mohamed, coauthor of the report and PEN America’s… More
New PEN America Analysis Points to Cracks in Florida’s Censorship Campaign
Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America’s Florida office, said: “By continuing to pass bills that are a knife to the heart of our Constitutional protections, Florida lawmakers are not… More
Illinois School District Board Withdraws from State Celebration of Children’s Literature Over Book on Racism and Antiracism
"The board's deliberations were plainly ideological,” said Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director, U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America. “This program is a wonderful opportunity for kids to… More
EveryLibrary and PEN America Oppose Proposed Huntington Beach, CA Ordinance for Community Review of Children’s Library Books
In a statement, the organizations said: “This proposed ordinance is nothing short of an effort to erect a censorship committee to police public access to literature. It has the… More
PEN America Applauds Reintroduction of the Building Civic Bridges Act
“Free expression thrives best across difference,” said Laura Schroeder, Congressional Affairs lead at PEN America. “The Building Civic Bridges Act’s support of community-based organizations at the forefront of repairing… More